Philadelphia 76ers: Does Joel Embiid deserve a top 50 ranking?
By Pete Sawan
After already landing two players in Sports Illustrated’s top 100 players of the 2017- 2018 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers added another in Joel Embiid.
Clearly, there’s no denying how good Joel Embiid can be. With his multi-dimensional offensive skill set, coupled with his lockdown defense, the sky is the limit for him and the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, should he receive this much praise after only playing 31 games?
Before we jump into that, let’s take a look at this list. So, Joel Embiid earned the 41st spot on Sports Illustrated’s top 100 players of the 2017- 2018 season. He ranked higher than quite a few established NBA talents. Some of those players include the likes of Andrew Wiggens, Harrison Barnes, and Steven Adams.
Obviously, Sports Illustrated’s Ben Goliver and Rob Mahoney both have tons of stock in Embiid. According to Mahoney, this ranking could fluctuate drastically depending on Embiid’s success this season. As he puts it:
"This ranking—a futile attempt to bridge two extremes—will likely be wrong. It’s possible that Embiid plays out his 2017-18 season as something close to a top-10 player. The talent and the impact are there."
Obviously, this ranking banks on potential. Ranking Joel Embiid at the 41st spot tells me that the Mahoney and Golliver recognize the star quality in Embiid, but they don’t want to push him further up because of the established names already on the list. Certainly, it may be too early to rank Embiid ahead of guys like DeMar DeRozan and Carmelo Anthony, or even a player at his own position like Hassan Whiteside.
Should he rank this high?
Now, I understand the sentiment behind the selection. Clearly, Joel Embiid’s small sample size should warrant a fairly high selection. He averaged 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. On top of that, he shot 36.7 percent from three point range. In the games where he actually played, Embiid dominated. So, you can see why he earned such a high ranking.
On the other hand, playing only 31 games in three seasons should raise a few red flags. Obviously, your franchise centerpiece should play the majority of the season. This ranking does lend itself to some criticism. Does Embiid lack of playing time hurt the legitimacy of this spot? I’d voucher a guess in saying that it does.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Joel Embiid. I believe he’s the perfect combination of explosiveness, elusiveness, and overall talent that the NBA has seen in a center in a long time. He can virtually fit any scheme because of his length, speed, and strength. He can take some guards on pick and rolls and the team won’t miss a beat. But, the question still remains: is he better than the players he beat out?
Well, if the pick is completely under the guise of potential: yes. Obviously, this will come as a surprise to most fans who did not watch him, but Joel Embiid is pretty damn good. He played a huge role in the Philadelphia 76ers’ success in January when he averaged 23.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. Over the course of last season, Embiid had a 24.1 player efficiency rating, ranking higher than the likes of Rudy Gobert, John Wall, and Mike Conley.
Next: Sixers should bank on retaining Joel Embiid after this season
Ultimately, the lack of playing time hurts his case, but hey, it’s not like this spot on the list is terrible. At the end of the day, Joel Embiid will need to show the rest of the league why he deserves this spot, and may even a higher one.